PRINTING SYSTEMS

• US 20190135007A1
• Filed: 07/19/2016
• Published: 05/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2016
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: SHIELDS, James P., KHAVARI, Mehrgan
• Application Number:
  US16/092,987
• Publication Number:
  US 20190135007A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 11/0015 for treating before, during or after printing or for uniform coating or laminating the copy material before or after printing selective coating B41J2/2114
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 5/0011 Pre-treatment or treatment during printing of the recording material, e.g. heating, irradiating after-treatment of prints B41M7/00; printers for treating or overcoating copy materials before, during or after printing B41J11/0015
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 5/0047 by ink-jet printing
• CPC Class Codes: B41M 5/0064 on plastics, horn, rubber, or other organic polymers
• CPC Class Codes: H05H 1/2418 the electrodes being embedded in the dielectric
• CPC Class Codes: H05H 1/2439 Surface discharges, e.g. air flow control

Abstract

The present disclosure is drawn to printing systems. In one example, a printing system can include a pretreatment head and an inkjet print head. The pretreatment head can include a plasma generator to apply a plasma treatment to a polyolefin media substrate. The inkjet print head can be positioned with respect to the pretreatment head to form a printed image on the polyolefin media substrate after the plasma treatment.

Claims

1. A printing system, comprising:

a polyolefin media substrate;

a pretreatment head comprising a plasma generator to apply a plasma treatment to the polyolefin media substrate; and

an inkjet print head positioned with respect to the pretreatment head to form a printed image on the polyolefin media substrate after the plasma treatment.

2. The printing system of claim 1, wherein the plasma generator is a surface barrier discharge plasma generator.

3. The printing system of claim 1, wherein the surface barrier discharge plasma generator is positioned or movable to operate at from 0.1 mm to 10 mm from the polyolefin media substrate.

4. The printing system of claim 1, wherein the polyolefin media substrate is a media web that is web fed, and wherein the surface barrier discharge plasma generator is 75% or more as wide as the media web.

5. The printing system of claim 1, wherein the pretreatment head and inkjet print head are attached to a carriage for passing the pretreatment head over a portion of the polyolefin media substrate to apply the plasma treatment followed by passing the inkjet print head over the polyolefin media substrate to form the printed image on the portion.

6. The printing system of claim 1, wherein the polyolefin media substrate comprises polyethylene, polypropylene, oriented polypropylene, biaxially oriented polypropylene, low density polyethylene, linear low density polyethylene, very low density polyethylene, high density polyethylene, high density high molecular weight polyethylene, ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene, or combinations thereof.

7. The printing system of claim 1, wherein the polyolefin media substrate has a form factor comprising a film, woven textile, a nonwoven textile, a blow molded article, an injection molded article, or a cast article.

8. The printing system of claim 1, further comprising an ink reservoir in fluid communication with the inkjet print head, the ink reservoir comprising an inkjet ink, wherein the inkjet ink comprises a solvent-soluble dye.

9. The printing system of claim 8, wherein the inkjet ink is nonaqueous and comprises from 50 wt % to 95 wt % ethanol.

10. A method of forming a printed image on a polyolefin media substrate, comprising:

plasma treating a surface of a polyolefin media substrate; and

jetting an inkjet ink from an inkjet print head onto the pretreated surface of the polyolefin media substrate to form a printed image on the polyolefin media substrate.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the inkjet ink comprises a solvent-soluble dye.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein plasma treating is performed utilizing a surface barrier discharge plasma generator.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein plasma treating is performed for a time period of 0.1 second to 20 seconds prior to jetting.

14. A printed article, comprising:

a polyolefin media substrate having a surface thereof modified by surface barrier discharge plasma generator to convert polyolefin molecules at the surface into oxygen containing groups; and

a printed image formed by jetting an inkjet ink on the modified surface of the polyolefin media substrate, wherein the printed image comprises a colorant in contact with the modified surface of the polyolefin media substrate.

15. The printed article of claim 14, wherein the printed image includes black ink having a KOD of 1 or more.